News Archives: Walter Paszkowski
Tuesday, January 1st, 2013
Walter Paszkowski graduated with honors in agricultural studies at the Fairview College in 1952 and in addition to seed farming worked 12 years as office manager with the Federal Prairie Farm Assistance Act Program. He served as founding director of the Northern Alberta Rapeseed Crushing Plant and worked with the Beaverlodge Research Station to develop new insect controls and disease resistant varieties of canola. He served as president of the Alberta Canola Growers, Director of the Northern Lite Canola Inc., Chair of the Canola Council of Canada and Chair of the Grow with Canola Committee. In 1979 he was elected to Town Council of Sexsmith for 11 years, 6 of them as Mayor . In 1989 he was elected Member of the Legislative Assembly for Smoky River and in 1993, handily won the newly created electoral district of Grande Prairie-Smoky and served as Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development. He became Minister of Transportation and Utilities after a third landslide majority in 1997 and Minister of Municipal Affairs in 1999. He retired from politics in 2001 and in 2002, Walter served his native Peace Country, as Economic Development Officer for the County of Grande Prairie, In 2008, he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Order of Merit by the Government of Poland for his valued work advising that country on agricultural and municipal matters. In 2011, Walter Paszkowski was inducted into the Alberta Order of Excellence.
